Good War Movie!!!

Rating: 8/10 (22 September 2013)

Producer Darryl F. Zanuck dreamed about making Cornelius Ryan's bestselling World War II book about the Allied invasion of Normandy into a major motion picture. Reportedly, Zanuck anted up $175-thousand to obtain the screen rights to Ryan's book. Nevertheless, neither Ryan nor Zanuck got along well with each other. Ostensibly, "The Longest Day" represents the high water mark of World War II movies. No movie before it had the cast that this Twentieth Century Fox film boasted and afterward only "A Bridge Too Far" and "Battle of Britain" approached it in terms of prestige. The cast is truly legendary with luminaries like John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, George Segal, Henry Fonda, Richard Burton, Sean Connery, Curd Jürgens, Robert Ryan, Kenneth More, Gert Fröbe, Peter Lawford, Robert Wagner, and Stuart Whitman. Five directors helmed the sprawling action scenes, with Andrew Marton directing the American scenes, Ken Annakin handling the British scenes, and Bernhard Wicki lensing the German scenes. Most of what happens occurs in vignettes that feature a major star. The paratrooper scenes are incredible, especially when Red Button is trapped atop of a bell tower while his fellow jumpers landed in a square and were picked off by the Germans like fish in a barrel. The black & white cinematography adds an element of authenticity, and the whistling theme is classic. Interestingly enough, the Twentieth Century Fox logo with the searchlights is never shown in this film. Just as interestingly, despite all the participants of the actual battle who served as advisors, former top commanding general Dwight Eisenhower walked out of the film because so many technical errors were committed. "The Longest Day" opens with the Allies mobilizing for the cross Channel invasion and keeping an eye on the weather. Reluctantly, Ike (Henry Grace) decides to commit the Allies to a landing during stormy weather. Essentially, the Allies caught the Germans sleeping and battered their way through enemy lines. The Allies dropped in dummies that activated and created noise designed to detract from the appearance of real soldiers. The dialogue is memorable, too.